


fuck being friends (we don't pretend)

by bvtterfliez



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27161426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bvtterfliez/pseuds/bvtterfliez
Summary: Suki knows there’s a reason why the three of them can’t be together. She just can’t remember what it is.The promised skateboarding suzukka fic. Title taken from Fuck Being Friends by Jessie Reyez.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 110





	fuck being friends (we don't pretend)

**Author's Note:**

> This ship is based on a suzukka post I made on my blog which I'll link to below. I'm not Asian or Indigenous so if anything I've written is incoorect, inaccurate, offensive or stereotyping, let me know and I'll edit it right away!  
> This fic is set in Japan. If there is any problem with that setting or anything here is misrepresentd, again, let me know and I will change it.

The new kid is hot. 

Suki said it offhandedly to Sokka and he hummed in agreement before remembering he was supposed to be offended and poking her in the side, whining about betrayal and dishonour. Suki laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Sokka, you’re the only one for me. It was just an objective statement.”

And it clearly was, because  _ damn _ . 

With raven hair pushed back behind his ears, high cheekbones, muscles you probably only get from intense physical therapy morning, noon and night with some vigilante ass kicking on the side (Sokka should know, he’s pretty sure his girlfriend does both), a gentle slope down into a hawk like nose and light brown eyes that seemed gold in the sunlight, Zuko is probably the hottest guy Sokka has ever seen.

Sokka knows his name is Zuko because they have AP Literature together, and when Mister Pakku (ugh) went on roll call and asked, “Zuko Ryu?” he answered with a soft little ‘here’ in a raspy voice that really didn’t help Sokka’s case.

So yeah ー the new kid is hot. 

Sokka’s not afraid to admit this to Suki at the skate park after school. She grins at him from the top of the ramp and yells, “See!” before flipping up her skateboard and popping an ollie. Sokka laughs and focuses on fiddling with the wheels of his longboard.

As he watches Suki’s auburn hair fly out behind her, he can’t help but smile at his luck. Suki’s the smartest, kindest, most talented and most gorgeous girl a guy could ask for, and every day he’s thankful for the fact that they’re together.

Suddenly a shadow is cast over Sokka’s frame. He glances upwards and has to stop himself from falling out of his seat.

It’s Zuko.

So, here’s the thing, Zuko’s hot. Like,  _ really _ hot. Seriously, if Sokka hadn’t had a crush on Teo from Physics in eighth grade, Zuko would probably be his bi awakening. But he’s also been sent to detention three times this week for fighting, and it’s his first week here. And here’s what Sokka neglected to mention when describing Zuko: he has a huge burn scar on the left side of his face.

It’s a mottled pink that darkens into a deeper red and permanently narrows his eye. Sokka’s willing to bet he can’t see or hear out of that side. 

And Sokka feels bad for being intimidated by it because it’s probably not his fault, and it’s actually sort of badass. But damn it, it’s intimidating. 

So excuse him if he lets out a tiny squeak and scrambles backwards at the sight of him. “Zuko!” he cries out in what he hopes sounds like a cheerful tone, if falsely so. “What are you doing here?” Damn it, how is it that his voice still cracks? Middle school ended two years ago, psychopath.

Zuko arches his eyebrows. Well, his one eyebrow. The other one is kind of… gone. He lifts his right arm, showing Sokka a street skateboard deck with flames and a pair of dragons-one red, one blue- spray painted on the front. “It’s a skate park,” he says, in that soft, raspy voice. “I’m here to skate.” The ‘obviously’ isn’t said out loud, but it’s implied from his expression. 

Sokka swallows nervously- his throat suddenly feels dry. “Well!” he says, his voice  _ still cracking god damn it,  _ “Wouldn’t want to distract you from that! I’ll just…”

And then he hightails it out of there. Suki will call him when she’s ready to go home.

* * *

Suki’s boyfriend is a genius. Seriously, with his intellect he should already be in college. And though he’s not always the most socially apt, he’s got a sort of charisma and awkward bravado that draws people in and makes all adults like him.

But sometimes? Sometimes, he does really stupid, tactless things. 

This is one of those times. 

Suki watches as he scrambles to his feet, longboard in tow, and practically sprints to his car, driving off. Zuko stares after him as his Chevy Impala- Sokka’s pride and joy- gears off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. He turns to face Suki, confusion and hurt written all over his face.

Suki feels guilt settle in her stomach. “I’m really sorry,” she blurts. “He’s not… usually like that.”

That only seems to make it worse. Suki sees him touch his scar, almost subconsciously, and tear his gaze from hers when he catches her looking, wearing a scowl that doesn’t match his eyes. “It’s not the scar!” she rushes to reassure him. At that, Zuko just snorts in disbelief. Suki winces. “Okay, so maybe that’s  _ part  _ of it, but I promise that’s not all! It’s probably all those fights you got into.” 

Zuko’s expression hardens. “Bastards deserved it,” he muttered. 

Suki raises an eyebrow. “What did they do to deserve a black eye each?”

Zuko scowls. “They were saying- really stupid stuff about my sister. And her friend.”

Suki blinks. “Your sister?” she repeats.

Zuko nods stiffly. “Yeah. Azula Ryu.”

_ Azula.  _ Suki remembers her from last year- mostly from Katara’s complaints about a ‘stuck-up, self-superior brat’ in her eighth-grade gym class. She can’t quite believe that she’s related to the soft-spoken, awkward boy in front of her, even if he has a horrifying scar and got into three fights in his first week. 

“Huh,” she says aloud. 

Zuko grunts. “Yeah. Huh.” Then he disappears behind the ramp to climb up the stairs. Suki arches an eyebrow at his lack of a helmet. “No helmet, tough guy?” she calls out humorously, even though she’s not quite sure Zuko will get the joke.

Thankfully, he does, and he shoots her a sharp grin, sort of like a dragon’s, and  _ oh _ , she just remembered what his last name means- and places his skateboard in front of him. “I’ve gotten really good at not dying,” he smirks. 

Suki returns the smirk. “Let’s see how good,” she replies. 

* * *

Okay, so Tony Hawk good.

His skateboard’s too clunky for him to do any really good tricks, but he’s got a skill with the board that can’t be denied. The only person Suki can name that skates that good, aside from herself, is Sokka. 

He hops off the edge of the ramp, and Suki has to stop herself from screaming out of principal. He smiles softly up at her. “Thanks,” he says quietly.

Suki smiles back. “You’re welcome.”   
Zuko skates off and she stares after him. Somehow she doesn’t think this is the last time they’ll see each other.

At least, not if she has anything to say about it.

* * *

Zuko knows the scar’s ugly and intimidating, but he hates being reminded every day.

Meeting the beautiful boy from his literature class only for him to run off at the sight of him was a real blow to his self-esteem, even if the equally beautiful girl for his homeroom had been up for a round of skating after. 

He skates back to The Jasmine Dragon, watching other restaurants pass him by. He throws up a salute when he passes the Red Lotus. They make the best darjeeling tea Zuko’s ever tasted, and Zaheer and P’Li are a cute couple, even if they have a weird mah-jong rivalry going on with his uncle’s book group.

He pushes open the door to the Jasmine Dragon and lets the door swing shut behind him. “Taidama,” he calls out, hoping his uncle can hear him. He heads up the stairs with his skateboard in tow.

Zuko’s relieved to see Uncle’s smiling face coming from around the storage room door. “Okaeri, nephew!” he greets warmly. “How was school today?”

Zuko grunts, which apparently gives Iroh enough of an answer as his face melts into one of sympathy. “Jasmine tea?” he offers kindly.

“Please,” Zuko replies quietly.

Uncle nods kindly and disappears into the kitchen.

Zuko doesn’t know what he would do without Uncle Iroh. When he was a scarred, broken teenager with too much trauma to deal with, his Uncle, for some reason, decided he should. He had his own business to run, was still grieving the death of Lu Ten just like Zuko was, and he took Zuko in anyways. Zuko will never stop being grateful for that.

Uncle Iroh returns with a steaming cup of jasmine tea- and a bowl of  _ yakitori _ , even though Zuko didn’t ask. That’s the thing about Uncle- he always knows what you need, even if you don’t.

Zuko takes a sip of jasmine tea gratefully. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Is Azula back?”

Uncle Iroh shakes his head. “She, Mai and Ty Lee went to a movie.” 

Zuko doesn’t miss the worried look Uncle Iroh shoots at him, despite how hard he tries to hide it. He shoots him a reassuring smile. Mai is his best friend, but she’s also Azula’s, and she has so few of those even after leaving Ozai’s house. Zuko wouldn’t want to take the ones she does away.

They sit in comfortable silence for a few moments before Uncle Iroh speaks. Cautiously, he says, “That boy you used to hang out with was here.”

Zuko spits out his  _ yakitori. _

“Jet?” he demands, furiously wiping his mouth. “What was he doing here?”

“Relax, nephew,” Iroh says soothingly. “Mr. Dimaano only came for a cup of tea and to ask how you were doing.”

“I hope you told him to fuck off,” Zuko scowled. 

Uncle chuckles. “I did not, though I suspect I wasn’t very polite either. I simply told him you had been doing much better since the two of you separated.”

Zuko exhales. It isn’t necessarily true, but if it got Jet to leave him alone, he’s fine with it. “How’d he take that?” he asks curiously.

“Oddly enough, he seemed pleased. He’s recently been adopted.”

Zuko blinks. He hadn’t been expecting that. “Really?”

Iroh nods, humming. “Yes.”

Zuko can’t say he’s not happy for Jet- he’s pretty sure his lack of adult supervision is why he was ever such a piece of work in the first place- but he’s not going to pretend he’s not annoyed that he’s back in his life. “By who?” he asks, because he’s a masochist.

Uncle Iroh winces. “Ah. This I wanted to ease you into. Nephew, Jet has been adopted by Jeong-Jeong and Piandao. I believe the two of you are enrolled at the same high school.”

* * *

After having a mini-panic attack over the concept of ever seeing Jet again, ever, Zuko heads up to the rooftop. 

He lights a cigarette. Uncle Iroh doesn’t like it when he and Azula smoke, and he’s a lot better than he was in the past at controlling his habit, but smoking runs in his family, he’s pretty sure, and he can’t seem to bear to turn away from it.

He tries not to think about Jet being adopted by Uncle’s book club friends, tries not to think of seeing him again tomorrow at school. If you look up 'dumpster fire' you'd probably find 'Zuko and Jet's relationship' written underneath it. They were both hurt and angry, and coupled with who Zuko's father was, well. They didn't make a good case for couple of the year.

Trying not to think about Jet makes him think about Sokka and Suki, though. And that’s not something he wants to ponder too long. He’s pretty sure the two of them are dating. There’s no room for him in a relationship between people who look like that.

* * *

Sokka has a routine. 

Every day, without fail, he wakes up an hour before it’s time for breakfast. 

And he tries to remember his mother’s face.

He knows, deep in his heart of hearts, that it’s not his fault that he can’t remember, but the fault of the man who slipped into his mother’s bedroom in the dead of the night and took a gun to her back. But he can’t help the guilt, anyways, that fills him when he ties to conjure up memories of his mother and fails to, when his mother’s dark brown eyes always turn into his dad’s or sister’s, when all he can remember is the wisp of her voice and a chin resting atop his head on story nights.

He squeezes his eyes shut, one more time, trying to summon even a fraction of his mother’s smile.

Nothing. 

He cries.

* * *

Suki’s the first thing he sees when he gets through the door and he’s glad. That is, until he fixes him with the scariest glare known to man. “Sokka,” she says in a firm, no nonsense voice.

And Sokka doesn’t understand at first. But then he remembers that the last time he saw Suki he was speeding away from the skate park, desperate to leave Zuko’s presence. He swallows nervously. “Suki!” he says cheerfully.

Suki crosses her arms over her chest. “Sokka, you have to apologize to that guy. He did nothing wrong!”

“He got into three fights in his first week!” Sokka protests.

“Because they were shit-talking his sister,” Suki scolds. “Remember that time you got detention for trying to deck Mr Pakku because he called Katara an insufferable brat?”

Sokka squawks. “That was different!” he insists.

_ “How?”  _ Suki demands.

Sokka ponders it. “Okay, so it wasn’t,” he admits. He sighs. “Fine. I  _ suppose  _ an apology is in order.”

Suki nods. “Good.” Then she smirks. “I’ve never seen you run that fast,” she teases. “Not even at your soccer games.”

Sokka shrieks. “That was uncalled for!”

* * *

Sokka doesn’t see Zuko for the rest of the day, and he begins to think he’s not in school. He’s both relieved and disappointed. He’s not sure why. Maybe he was hoping to know more about him. Gossip isn’t really that big at this school, and it’s usually kept within the circles it came out of, but everyone wants to know about the mysterious new kid with a scar on his face.

He finds him, though. During sixth period, what’s meant to be art for Sokka, he finds him having a heated conversation with- what do you know- Jet.

He supposes Jet’s not all bad, not since he got adopted by the fencing coach and his boyfriend. He’s been in therapy, Sokka hears. Still, he’s pretty high-strung. Sokka doesn’t particularly want to find out what it’s like when the two of them go head to head.

He edges a little nearer  so he can hear their conversation better  because they’re in his way. “-it’s not like you were the perfect gentleman,” he hears Jet accuse. “You beat the shit out of me!”

“You started it!” Zuko hissed. “You’re just mad I won the fight!”

Jet seems outraged.  _ “You did not!” _

“Oh yes I did,” Zuko says smugly.

“Why you- “

Sokka clears his throat.

The two of them whip around. “What?!” they demand.

Sokka flushes. “Um. I just wanted to apologize. To Zuko.”

Zuko blinks. “I- to me?” 

He looks dumbfounded, like he can’t possibly understand what’s wrong- which seems stupid to Sokka, given that he literally  _ ran away almost the second he saw him _ .

Sokka nods. “Yeah. I was, uh, really rude the other day. I shouldn’t have run off like that. I’m sorry.”

Zuko looks shocked, like he can’t believe someone’s apologizing for that. He says, “It’s fine. I get it. The, uh…” he gestures vaguely towards his scar.

“Wha- no! I mean, yeah, but that doesn’t make it right. People shouldn’t, you know, assume shit about you.”

Zuko stares at him quizzically for a second, like he’s trying to gauge whether he’s being sincere or not. Then he gives Sokka a soft smile that does  _ not  _ make Sokka’s stomach flip, thanks very much, and says, “Okay. Thanks, Sokka.”

Sokka feels like he could stand there forever. He’s waiting for something, but he’s not sure what, only knows that there is something in the air and Zuko’s eyes burn and-

“If you’re done flirting,” Jet interrupts in an annoyed tone, “Zuko and I were talking.”

Zuko scowls and turns his attention back to Jet. “Arguing, you mean,” he snaps.

“Talking,” Jet insists, and the two start up again, the magic between Sokka and Zuko broken.

Sokka walks away.

* * *

Suki has been responsible since she was a little girl.

Responsible for food and bills, for clothes and transportation, and for six little girls who are all in different homes now. 

She knows Sokka understands it, that it’s part of why they’re together. Because they are both so used to being responsible, and with one another, they can let their guard down, just a bit. Sokka doesn’t have to protect everyone, make sure everyone’s happy. Suki’s not constantly on edge trying to make people safe. It’s comforting. 

So yeah, Suki’s used to being the responsible one.

She’s still shocked when their coach puts her in charge of the roller derby team for the rest of the semester. 

“I- I don’t understand,” she stammers. “Coach, I have band, and basketball, and tessenjutsu- I can’t possibly do this all by myself- “

“Of course you can,” Coach Kyoshi interrupts, in a tone that’s both reassuring and stern. “There’s no one else I trust more than my youngest captain in history,” she adds proudly. 

Suki flushes. Coach Kyoshi once held that title, becoming captain in sophomore year- then Suki took the title in freshman year. Coach Kyoshi’s been coaching the Warriors for so long they named the team after her, and Suki looks up to her, trusts her judgement. But this?

She’s 100% sure this is too much for her to handle.

Kyoshi gives her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I promise you, if I didn’t think you were up to it, I wouldn’t ask you to.” 

Suki swallows. “Okay, Coach.”

Kyoshi smiles. “Good. You go, kiddo.”

Suki gives Kyoshi the biggest smile she can muster before setting off away from the rink. She needs to think about this for a little while. 

The hallways are mostly empty- aside from the Warriors and Bumi’s wrestling team, no one’s really set to be around at this time. Suki gives a half-hearted, “Hi,” to Haru, who smiles and waves back. Suki’s pretty sure Haru quit wrestling a while ago, so he’s more likely than not just sticking around waiting for Teo to finish up with his dad in the lab so the two of them can make out. That is, Teo and Haru, not Teo’s  _ dad  _ and Haru. Yeah, that would be… that would be gross.

It’s while trying to banish the thought of Haru and the school’s robotics professor having an illicit affair from her mind that Suki bumps into Zuko again.

It’s the sort of crash that sends both parties sprawling in the opposite direction, not one falling on top of the other, and Suki tries to ignore her disappointment at that. “Chikusho,” she hears Zuko swear as he rises to his feet. “Are you okay?” he asks softly, voice tender and concerned.

Suki nods mutely. “Fine,” she says, offering him a quick smile to show she means it. Zuko nods and offers his hand. Suki takes it and lets him pull her to her feet. She wonders if she’s imagining the spark there. 

“Are you leaving?” he asks, quietly, almost imperceptible to someone who didn’t spend years learning to sneak. Suki nods. “Yeah, Sokka’s driving me home.” Then, impulsively she adds, “Wanna come with?”

Zuko blinks twice. “I- that’s a very kind offer, but I wouldn’t want to bother the two of you.”

Suki waves a hand nonchalantly. “Nonsense. Sokka wouldn’t mind. He needs someone to reaffirm his music taste, anyways.”

Zuko’s mouth quirks. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, he needs people to tell him that  _ yes,  _ putting a heavy metal song and an R&B song on a playlist is perfectly reasonable actually.”

The mouth quirk is a full smile now, and only on Sokka’s face has Suki ever seen anything so bright. “Okay,” Zuko says. “If only to reaffirm Sokka’s musical genius.”

* * *

Zuko is sitting next to Suki in the front of Sokka’s Chrysler Pacifica.

It’s not something Sokka anticipated, but he’s grateful for it anyways, for Zuko listening with a smile to Suki wrestling for control of the music system and leaning his forehead against the windowpane as the sun rays pool in the sky, illuminating his face. He’s grateful for Suki’s auburn hair burning in the sunlight and her laughter in his ear. He’s grateful that he’s not pondering too long on what the fact that he’s so grateful means.

He drops Suki off at her house and gives an enthusiastic wave goodbye and a kiss on the cheek as she bounds off to her house. He then turns to Zuko and raises an eyebrow. “Where to?”

That’s how he finds himself speeding past tea shops, Pad Thai places, all the shops with the best  _ murgh malai _ . Zuko points out each place, telling Sokka who owns them, their best dishes, naming some of their regular customers and their various eccentricities. “That’s Pao’s tea shop,” he says, pointing to a modest looking building with a pretty hand painted wooden sign. “Uncle and I used to work there, until he got his own tea shop.”

“Is the tea good?” Sokka asks curiously.

“No, it’s horrendous,” Zuko states matter of factly. Sokka barks out a surprised laugh. “We couldn’t leave fast enough. I think he’s switching to coffee.”

Sokka smiles, shaking his head. “That place?” he asks, pointing to a shop with rainbow tinted windows and an intricately designed dragon at the front.

Zuko’s smile falls and his shoulders sag in disappointment. “My place,” he says with a sigh. He gives Sokka a small smile. “Sorry I can’t keep giving you a rundown of the neighbourhood gossip.”

Sokka smiles. “S’okay.” Then, before he can lose his nerve, “Maybe we can do something together sometime and you can keep telling me everyone’s business.”

Just like when Sokka apologized, Zuko looks surprised, at first. But then he smiles, and says, “Yeah, okay.”

Sokka watches him slip through the door of, as the sign on the front reads, ‘The Jasmine Dragon’, and yell something that Sokka’s been to Suki’s house often enough to know is Japanese for ‘I’m home!’ Then the door swings closed and Sokka can only see the back of Zuko’s mullet and amber coloured jacket and through a lens of purple and yellow and green.

* * *

Azula is the one to greet him when he gets up the stairs- and of course by ‘greet’ he means throw a pack of cigarettes at his head. “I left my lighter at Ty Lee’s house,” she explains. 

Zuko rolls his eyes, lights the cigarette and hands it to Azula. She takes a long, slow drag of smoke. Zuko glances at the window, and upon finding it’s closed, opens it, switching on the ceiling fan for good measure. “You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” Zuko warns.

Azula waves him off. “Please. Uncle won’t mind.” She pats the seat next to her. “Mortal Kombat. Let’s go.”

Zuko rolls up his sleeves. “I will destroy you.”

“You say that everytime, and then you lose.”

Zuko sits next to Azula and they start playing. After a few minutes of gameplay, Azula gives him a swift kick in the shin. Zuko pauses the game and glares at her. “Why?” he demands.

_ “Baka,”  _ she scolds. “I didn’t see you at lunch.

Zuko grunts, continuing the game. “I went to the skate park.”

“Wow,” Azula says, eyes still focused on her game avatar. “What a rebel.”

“Shut up,” Zuko says. “You skip math to smoke.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Azula smirks.

The room is quiet for the rest of the game except for Zuko’s yells when he makes a particularly nasty blunder, Azula’s teasing, and Zuko’s (admittedly rare) crows of victory when he finally beats Azula in a round. It is like this, with Azula and Zuko. Comfortable silence, teasing that is only slightly barbed, now, after years of therapy. Zuko wishes he could say it had always been like this, that there had never been nights of screaming, of bloody arms and broken ankles, of hiccupy, broken sobs. But, he supposes, better late than never.

After losing, as predicted, Zuko picks up his skateboard and waves it at Azula. “Want to try?” he teases, smirking. Azula scowls and throws a cushion at him. The first time Azula tried to skate… well, none of them are permitted to speak about it, but suffice it to say that Zuko got an ego boost.

“Why didn’t you come home on that thing, anyway?” Azula asks. “Don’t lie that you did, I saw a car pulling up,” she adds.

Zuko feels his face flush. “A boy in my literature class drove me,” he mumbles.

Azula’s mouth curls into a wicked grin.  _ “Oh?”  _ she teases. “Don’t tell me you’ve found a boyfriend already, Zuzu.”

Zuko huffs. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s dating someone, anyway.” He doesn’t mention that he  _ also  _ has a crush on said someone, because he doesn’t want to die of embarrassment, or witness Azula’s poor attempts to comfort him. She’s gotten a bit better at that recently- they both have- but relationship advice is neither of their fortes. 

Azula pats his shoulder awkwardly, as if to prove his mentally made point. “There, there? You can, maybe get back together with Jet.”

The look on Zuko’s face must be terrible because Azula immediately backtracks. “Okay, bad idea! I got it. He seems fishy anyway, not sure why you date him.”

Zuko scowls. “He was very charismatic!” he defends. 

Azula snorts. “Yeah, okay.” Then she bumps Zuko’s shoulder. “Good night, loser.” She heads to her room. 

Zuko stars after her before sighing and flopping onto his couch, staring up at the ceiling and trying to make it look like something, anything but dark brown eyes, auburn hair and kind smiles.

* * *

Suki is accosted by Katara after third period. She’s good friends, great friends even, with her boyfriend’s little sister, so she’s not quite sure why her dark brown eyes are narrowed with fury. “Uh, Katara?” she asks hesitantly. “You okay?”

Katara presses her lips into a thin line. “Why are you and Sokka hanging out with Zuko Ryu?” 

She says his name like it’s a dirty word, and Suki is reminded all of a sudden that Katara’s only encounter with the Ryu family was a girl who set someone’s ponytail on fire. “He’s nice,” Suki promises. “Not like his sister.”

Katara scowls. “Then why did he get into a fight over her?” she demands.

Suki places a hand on Katara’s sister. “I’m sure you and Azula have your history, but regardless, she’s his  _ sister _ . You can’t expect him to just reject his family entirely as proof of his trustworthiness.”

“Why not?” Katara demands.

Suki sighs. “Okay, Katara, look at it this way. Has Azula done anything to you so far?” 

Katara’s still scowling but to a lesser degree. “No,” she mutters. 

“Has Zuko?”

“No,” she admits with a sigh.

“Then give Zuko, at least, a shot. He’s been really nice so far.” She doesn’t mention that his hair looks silky to the touch, that his eyes light up when he laughs, that his smile is like the sun breaking into a dark sky. Even though those are perfectly friendly thoughts. Obviously.

Katara shrugs. “Fine.” Then her face lights up. “Let me tell you what happened to me and Aang yesterday while we were surfing! He…”

Suki listens with amusement as Katara retells her and her boyfriend’s latest surfing adventure. The two of them make an adorable couple, and she’s pretty sure Katara’s Instagram has given everyone increasingly unrealistic expectations for boyfriends.

Their conversation ends at Katara’s stop, the biology lab. She gives an enthusiastic see you later as she disappears into class. Suki turns and walks away- and after a few steps, comes face to face with a girl with raven hair and light brown, almost gold eyes like someone else she knows. She’s wearing a pair of earrings in the shape of a flame.

Suki blinks. “Um. Hi?”

Flame Earrings eyes her critically for a few minutes. “You’re not all bad,” she concedes. “I mean, it’s Zuko, so he could do worse.”

Suki frowns. “What are you talking about?” she asks sternly.

Flame Earrings folds her arms across your chest. “You want to be my brother’s friend, right? I’m taking you through the screening process. His last friend was more of a boyfriend, and I’m pretty sure that didn’t end well.”

Suki barely has time to register that the girl standing in front of her is  _ Azula Ryu  _ before her other sentence hits her. “Zuko had a boyfriend?”

Azula nods. “Some guy named Jet.”

“Zuko dated  _ Jet _ ?”

A frown forms on Azula’s face. “You know him?” she says in an accusatory tone. 

“No, I- I know of him. He dated my boyfriend’s sister. Tried to, anyway.”

Azula looks unimpressed. “Friends with Jet. Two points off for that.”

“I- no! None of us like him.”

“Hmmph,” Azula says, still regarding Suki suspiciously. “Well, you don’t seem too bad. And you know Ty Lee, which gives you an edge.”

Suki does know Ty Lee- an upbeat, bubbly freshman who just joined the Warriors and is also on the school’s cheerleading team. Suki’s pretty acrobatic, but Ty Lee probably doesn’t have bones. 

She can’t imagine friendly, sweet Ty Lee and Azula getting along well, but then she can’t imagine Azula and Zuko being siblings either. 

The fact that Azula approached her just to see if Suki was good enough for her brother is sweet though. She says it out loud and Azula flushes. “Yeah, whatever,” she snaps. “Just don’t hurt him. That happens to him enough.” She storms off.

For the first time, Suki wonders where Zuko’s scar is from.

* * *

Sokka knows the universe hates him, because during his free period, he finds himself and Jet being detained in Miss June’s math class.

It’s not like Sokka hates Jet. Like he said, he’s kind of cooled down since being adopted.  _ But.  _ The last time Sokka saw him, he interrupted what was about to be a brawl. Or a lover’s spat, judging from the new information Suki’s just given him- that Zuko dated  _ Jet. _

Sokka can’t stop the mental ‘ew’ that immediately flashes in his mind. What can he say? Mouth Wheat boy didn’t exactly leave a fantastic impression. 

And that’s all. Not that Sokka thinks it should have been him. Nope, no sirree. 

Jet in question is frowning at him from his seat. Neither of them are sure why June took them here- probably torture just for the sake of it- but Jet seems pretty happy to take it out on him with his eyes. 

When June finally decides to leave, Jet turns to face Sokka. “So, you and Zuko? Thought you were dating that Suki chick.”

Sokka splutters. “I- it’s not like that! Zuko and I are just friends.”

Jet seems to relax. “Oh. Okay.” He pauses. “I never said it, but I’m sorry. About your sister, and, um, everything.”

Sokka hesitates, just for a second, then shrugs. “Apologize to my sister, not me. But about, you know, everything else… yeah, we’re cool. I mean, we’re not  _ cool  _ but, you know… we’re cool.”

Jet nods, apparently satisfied. “Cool,” he says, and then turns around in his chair. 

Idly (or not so idly, one might argue), Sokka wonders what Zuko and Jet must’ve looked like together. Must’ve been a train wreck.

* * *

Sokka lies on Katara’s bed as she rummages through her wardrobe for the perfect sweater for her and Aang’s date. Sokka’s not sure why she cares- she could show up in a potato sack and Aang would worship her. And just as well, because Kat Kat deserves nothing less.

(Sokka is experimenting with little sister nicknames after he overheard one of Suki’s former siblings calling her Susu. His former attempt, Kaka, was not well met.)

“Does orange wash me out?” Katara asks worriedly. “Some guy in your class commented that orange washes me out.”

Sokka scowls. “That guy was Hahn, and he never got over Yue liking me and not him. Forget that asshole.”

Katara relaxes, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” She’s quiet for a moment. Then, “Hey Sokka?”

“Hmm?” he says, idly playing with the beads on his necklace.

“Do you think I’m gay?”

Sokka drops his necklace so fast it slaps against his collarbone painfully. “I- how would I know?!” he stutters.

Katara flushes. “Well, you’re bisexual, right? You know about this stuff. I can’t talk to Toph, she’s- well, she’s  _ Toph _ !”

Sokka shakes his head, running his hands through his hair. “Katara, I- I can’t  _ tell you that _ . Just cause I’m bi doesn’t mean I’m the Guru of Coming to Terms with Your Sexuality!”

Katara folds her arms across her chest. “Well, why can’t you be?” she huffs.

“Why can’t I- there are  _ so many reasons  _ why!”

“Like!” Katara demands.

“Okay, well, for one, everyone’s experience with sexuality is different? I found out because I was crushing hard on Teo, but everything is different for everyone? And like, gender sometimes affects knowing if you’re attracted to the same sex. Like, complimenting each other is normalized among girls, right? But not like that for boys? I don’t know, I’m just spouting shit from Suki’s feminist books, but like, I’m pretty sure identifying as a boy or a girl affects it. For some people. And most important, it’s like, not a decision I can make for you. I know it’s hard, but it’s ultimately up to you.”

Katara stares at Sokka for a few seconds, blinking. Then she lets out a small sigh. “Yeah, I guess,” she mumbles.

Sokka immediately feels guilty, because wasn’t Hakoda there for him when he was coming to terms with his sexuality? Wasn’t Bato? So he gets up and places his hand on Katara’s shoulder comfortingly. “Hey,” he says softly. “I know things are probably hard right now. Coming to terms with your sexuality is serious stuff. But whether you’re gay, bi, trans, whatever… it doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to love and accept you no matter what. And I really  _ can’t  _ make this decision for you, but I’ll be with you, every step of the way. Okay?”

“Okay,” Katara smiles softly. Thanks, Sokka.”

Sokka squeezes her shoulder. “Your welcome. Also, those shoes make you look like Bobo the clown, wear the white ones.”

He finds himself sprawled awkwardly across a bean bag after Katara thumps him. “Jerk,” she scowls, but there’s a kindness in her eyes that Sokka knows will never fade. 

* * *

At eight pm, Sokka gets a text.

_ Suki: Fuck it and skate time. _

Sokka’s heart aches for his girlfriend, who has been through too much. 

_ You: I’ll bring the sake. _

Sokka grabs his skateboard and two bottles out of his secret stash of alcohol. He has a girlfriend to comfort.

* * *

Fuck It and Skate originated when Suki first met Sokka, when Sokka’s shoulders ached with looking out for everybody and Suki had six little holes in her heart that had never since been filled. Just the two of them, their skateboards, and alcohol. Two kids with too much responsibility on their shoulders, holding each other tight.

They don’t need it as often, now, ever since they found each other. But tonight, Suki’s not-really-parents are leaving her to pick up the pieces of a broken marriage they had hoped to save by adopting her, and she misses her sisters, misses Himari’s jokes and Ichika’s stories, and little Niko’s gap tooth. Is she really so little anymore? By now she should be turning eight. And Suki isn’t there with her to get her daifuku and draw hearts and smiley faces on her arms. No, Suki is here, living on without her.

She is here, feet dangling over the edge of the skateboard ramp, tenderly holding a skateboard, her first skateboard, spray-painted with a group of fierce-looking women in geisha make-up holding warrior fans. Aoi’s artwork. She was born to paint. Suki wonders if she still does, if she thinks about her the way Suki does.

Sokka seems to appear from nowhere, his own skateboard and two bottles of sake in his hand. 

“Hey,” he calls softly. 

Suki swallows. The tenderness of the night suddenly overwhelms her and she chokes back a sob. 

“I-”

“I know,” he whispers. 

Sokka clambers up the ladder so he’s sitting behind Suki and gently pulls her closer. 

“I miss them,” Suki weeps. “I miss them so much. They were my  _ sisters _ , god damn it. No stupid  _ piece of paper  _ should be able to change that!”

She turns around and fists Sokka’s shirt in her hands. “Why can’t I see them, Sokka? Why can’t we just all be together like we used to be?”

“I don’t know, Suki,” Sokka murmurs. “I don’t know.”

Suki lets out a screech that she’ll probably be embarrassed by later, but for now she’s too overwhelmed by hurt and pain. “I took care of them,” she babbles. “ _ Watashi wa sorera no sewa o shimashita _ . I took care of them! I looked out for them, I protected them, it was  _ my job _ , and now we’re scattered all over the place and I can’t even see most of them anymore. Why, Sokka? After all I went through to protect them, don’t I deserve it?”

“You do, Suki,” Sokka says. “You deserve everything. I’m so sorry, Suki. I’m so sorry.”

And that’s how the night continues, with Suki sobbing into Sokka’s shirt and him whispering soothing words into her hair. It doesn’t bring her to her sisters, but it’s enough.

* * *

The air in the yoghurt store is cool and light, and Zuko smiles at the sight of Jin behind the counter, happily thanking customers. She somehow perks up even more at the sight of Zuko. “Zuko!” she yells happily. 

“Jin!” he greets with the same enthusiasm.

Jin hops from her seat and rushes towards him, throwing her arms around his waist when they reach each other. Zuko laughs, wraps his arms around her and spins her around. 

She beams at him when he puts her down. “It feels like it’s been forever!” she squeals.

“Right?” Zuko agrees. “How’s Song?” he asks politely.

Jin seems to visibly melt at the mention of her girlfriend. “She’s amazing,” she says dreamily. “We’re celebrating our six-month anniversary tomorrow.” A cheeky grin appears on her face. “Help me pick a present for her and  _ maybe  _ I’ll convince her to forgive you for stealing her motorbike.”

Zuko squawks and Jin laughs. “I’ve apologized,” he complains. “And I returned it!”

“Why’d you steal it in the first place, dummy?”

“To find myself,” Zuko says dramatically, making Jin giggle.

“How’s school?” she asks curiously.

“School,” Zuko says flatly.

Jin arches an eyebrow. “Suckish, then.”

Zuko snorts, nodding. 

“Have you at least made some new friends? Aside from Azula, Ty Lee and Mai?” Jin asks sympathetically.

Zuko’s fully ready to say ‘no’ until Sokka and Suki pop up in his head. Are they friends? Sokka did ask to hang out this weekend…

“Sort of,” he settles.

Jin doesn’t push, which he’s grateful for. He’s not sure he can explain Sokka and Suki, the way they glow around each other and make him glow too. 

“I wasn’t kidding about the shopping thing,” Jin says. “You, me, Aunt Wu’s store.”

Zuko smiles. With Jin, he feels a sort of normalcy he isn’t sure he could ever feel with anyone else. Even at home his father and past looms over him. With Jin, he only has to worry about who likes who and how his hair looks.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Aunt Wu’s Fortune Telling and Gift Shop is a humble store owned by a not-so-humble woman. As Zuko opens the door, a bell tinkles, and Wu’s niece Meng looks up from her place at the counter and leaps from her seat. 

“Welcome to Aunt Wu’s palace of prophecy. She’s been expecting you,” she says in a way too serious voice. Isn’t she like, ten?

Jin smiles politely. She bows slightly with her fist in her right hand, and Zuko does the same. 

“Thank you, Meng,” she says warmly. “Will she accept us right now?”

Meng shakes her head, still with that serious look on her face, though she’s twitching her nose, probably trying to get an itch. 

“No, she is currently hosting some other wisdom seekers.” Then, as an afterthought almost, she whispers through a cupped hand, “That means  _ customers. _ ” Then she puts her hand down and it’s back to serious fortune telling apprentice mode. “Please take a seat, or have a look at some of our warehouses.”

“Wares,” Zuko corrects gently.

Meng blushes, but nods. “Wares.”

Then she hurries back behind the counter.

Jin and Zuko share amused looks and start taking a look around the store. “Do you think she’d like this?” she asks, holding up a china figurine of a flowering tree. Zuko frowns. “Uh, I guess?”

“You guess?” Jin repeats, eyebrows raised.

“I mean...” Zuko fumbles. “It’s pretty, right? Girls… like pretty things?”

Jin shakes her head in amusement. “Yeah, okay.”

Zuko huffs and drifts towards an old Sailor Moon action figure. He smiles softly. Liking Sailor Moon is he and Mai’s secret shame. He frowns slightly at the price, but shrugs and puts it down. He’ll come by some other time. 

“Ooh! What about this!” Jin shoves a pack of tarot cards in his face. Zuko furrows his brows. “Why would Song want those?” he asks honestly. “She hates tarots and stuff. That’s how you first met. She was complaining about them.”

“That’s the  _ point.  _ It’s  _ romantic. _ ”

“How?”

Jin huffs. “Whatever. I’m getting them. And-” she grabs something else from the shelf, “This thing.” She triumphantly waves a stuffed toy that looks like a cross between an ostrich and a horse. “Best. Girlfriend. Ever!” she yells.

Zuko’s still trying to comprehend what the  _ fuck  _ that toy is, when the ‘wisdom seekers’ Meng was talking about open the door to Wu’s Fortune Telling Room from the inside. A short boy with light brown skin, a bald head and blue arrow tattoos pops out, followed by a taller girl with dark brown skin and long hair, she turns around, presumably to take a look at the store, and catches Zuko’s eye.

Zuko is immediately hit by her familiarity to Sokka- nose, eyes, everything. Then he’s startled by the scowl that appears on her face.

So is Jin, apparently, because she nudges him and whispers, “What’s up with her?” 

“I don’t know,” he hisses. “I’ve never spoken to her in my life.”

Apparently, though, she has some kind of bad impression of him, because she marches right up to him, shoves a finger in his face, and snarls, “If you OR your sister hurt my brother or Suki in  _ any way _ , you’ll be sorry.”

Zuko blinks. “I. Your brother?”

The girl steps back and scowls. “Oh, I see. You don’t even know his  _ name _ , do you?”

“I- what? Are you talking about Sokka?”

Katara seems to deflate. “Oh. You  _ do  _ know his name.” Then she straightens. “Well, that changes nothing. If you hurt him, you won’t have to worry about fortune tellers, because I’ll make sure you never  _ have  _ a future,” she says defiantly.

Now, Zuko feels a familiar bubble of annoyance flaring in his stomach. He has no idea who this girl  _ is _ , and she’s threatening him with physical assault as if she knows him. 

_ “Fine,”  _ he spits. “Excuse me for wanting to talk to you brother.”

Jin’s eyes are flickering from Zuko to Katara like she’s watching a tennis match. When she seems to conclude they’ve reached a stalemate, she claps her hands together and says, “Well! As incredibly awkward as this was, Zuko and I have to go. Takoyaki Night, and everything. You have a good day, sweetie. Murder is okay.”

Jin pays for Song’s gifts, give’s Meng a generous tip, and then steers Zuko out of the store.

“Well, that was dramatic,” she comments as they leave the store. “Did you kill her dog or something?”

Her tone is light, but there’s seriousness in her eyes. Zuko feels a twist of shame at the thought of his previous actions. “No,” he answers sincerely. “I’m just hanging out with her brother and his girlfriend.”

Jin arches an eyebrow. “Maybe she’s scared you’ll be a homewrecker.”

Zuko snorts. “Yeah, right.”

“Hey, it could happen! A dashing young man with a mysterious past steals the boy-or the girl- away from their betrothed and into a passionate affair,” Jin says in a melodramatic voice.

“They’re not married, Jin,” Zuko laughs.

Jin swats him.  _ “Tanoshikunai,”  _ she pouts.

Zuko smiles and shakes his head gently. Jin is a blessing to the world, but she’s crazy. Zuko would never want to break up Sokka and Suki, and they would never go for him.

* * *

When Suki sees Zuko at homeroom on Friday she immediately goes for him.

“Hey,” she smiles, pulling her seat next to his.

He gives her a shy smile back. “Hey.”

“I didn’t see you at the skate park yesterday.”

Zuko flushes. “I went out with a friend,” he explains. “It’s her and her girlfriend’s six-month anniversary.”

“Are you exclusively friends with women?” Suki asks, amused. 

“It’s not my fault that we’re not shit,” Zuko says seriously, and Suki laughs. She pauses before saying, “How do I explain to you that your sister inspected me to see if I was good enough to be your friend?”

Zuko looks shocked. “She- she did?”

Suki nods. “Yeah, came right up to me and started taking points on and off. She didn’t really threaten me, though.”

Zuko snorts at that. “She probably wanted you off your guard for when she slaughters you,” is his deadpan response, and again Suki laughs. Zuko seems faintly surprised every time she does it, so she’s going to do it, every time, unless he doesn’t want her to.

“Little sisters huh?” she smiles, sort of sadly.

Zuko’s smile is a little sad, too. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Little sisters.”

They’re both quiet for a moment. Suki pipes up and says, “Can I read with you?”

Zuko smiles, shifts a little, and nods. They share a comfortable silence for the rest of the class.

* * *

When Sokka sees Zuko again, he’s sitting next to Azula Ryu, public enemy number 1 in Katara’s list of names.

On the opposite side of him is Mai Sato, whom Katara has never spoken to but is probably on Katara’s list anyway for being associated with Azula, and sitting next to her is Ty Lee, who Sokka recognises as one of the members of Suki’s roller derby team and doesn’t think Katara’s ever met before. 

As he watches  _ observes  _ Zuko listen with an amused little half smile to Ty Lee’s rambling and Azula listen next to him wearing a smirk, but not necessarily a malicious one, he’s suddenly struck by their similarity- their noses, their eyes, the shades of their hair. He suddenly wonders why he never questioned that they share a last name.

It’s as Sokka’s wondering that Zuko catches his eye, flashing him a smile and then a questioning look. Sokka flushes and speed walks away. He only has time to catch Zuko’s confused and slightly hurt expression.  _ Today on crushing Zuko’s feelings underfoot: Local boy completely ignores him for being related to somebody! _

Suki kisses him on the cheek when he sits down, and though he doesn’t feel very kissable, he accepts it. “How’s life in Sokka Town?” she smiles.

“Gotta say, it could be more fulfilling,” he replies, eliciting a giggle. Suki snuggles into him and Sokka wraps his arm around her shoulder. His tense, queasy feelings about Zuko melt away just a little. 

Toph flicks some rice in Sokka’s general direction. It never really matters  _ where  _ the food she flicks at him lands- it’s always something he would rather not have covered in food, and today it’s his sweatshirt. He glares. There’s no point to it, seeing as she’s blind, but it’s the damn principle of the thing. 

“Why?” he demands. 

Toph shrugs. “Felt like it.” She pops a French fry in her mouth. “Zuko’s cool, right?”

Sokka almost falls out of his seat. Again. He registers Katara’s small frown as Suki asks, “Yeah, you know him?”

Toph smirks. “Oh,  _ yeah.  _ He was my partner last year at the Earth Rumble.”

Sokka squawks. The Earth Rumble is the name of the illegal skateboarding extravaganza Toph always participates in. The basic concept is just to make it through the course without breaking your bones. The idea of  _ Zuko _ , of all people, taking part in that is…

Not that surprising, to be honest. Zuko seems pretty hot-headed. 

Katara’s frown deepens into a scowl. Suki lets out a small sigh. “Katara,” she says seriously.

“I don’t trust him,” she mutters.

Sokka blinks. “I- Zuko?”

Aang glances worriedly between the three of them. “Katara thinks Zuko might be a bully,” he says hesitantly.

“How could he not be?” Katara demands. “Azula is his  _ sister _ !”

Toph bristles slightly. “Do you realise what deep shit I’d be in if blood equalled character, Sugar Queen?”

Katara softens slightly but stands her ground. “It’s just- he’s so  _ shady. _ ”

Toph snorts. “Well, yeah, sort of. But you trust Suki and Sokka, right?”

Everyone turns to Sokka- Aang, Katara, Toph, and Suki. Suki’s eyes are earnest and kind, the way they only ever seem to be when looking at him.

But they’re also looking at Zuko that way now. And rather than making him envious, it makes Sokka’s heart that much warmer. So he says, “Yeah. I trust him.”

Toph grins and Aang huffs a little sigh of relief. Katara looks irked, but mostly okay.

And Suki?

Suki beams at him with a smile so bright Sokka doesn’t think he could ever look away. 

* * *

Zuko finds himself staring directly at Sokka’s face as he turns away from his locker after the last bell.

“Rain check on the outing for this weekend,” he says instantly.

Zuko wants to die. Really, he does. He saw Sokka’s face at lunch today, saw him refuse to so much as look at him, and yet he hoped…

Well. There’s the mistake there. He hoped.

“Oh.” He tries not to show his disappointment and fails- he can hear the note of sadness in his voice. “Um. Okay then. I’ll just-”

He turns to leave but Sokka grabs his arm. He offers him a gentle smile. “I meant,” he says softly, “because I want to go today. If that’s alright.”

Zuko’s pretty sure he blushes all the way to his toes. “Oh,” he says again, but this time there’s a warm and giddy feeling in his stomach as he says it. “Sure.”

Sokka smiles. “Great,” he says. “Come on.” He offers Zuko his hand. Zuko hesitates before taking it. He feels like he’s flying when Sokka’s cool hand touches his. 

Sokka’s smile is blinding. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Zuko finds himself in Suki’s usual seat, his elbow brushing against Sokka’s in a way that makes his skin tingle. He clears his throat, trying to suppress his blush. “So. Um. Is Suki coming? Or is it just the two of us?”

Sokka raises an eyebrow. “Trying to steal my girlfriend, are you?” he teases, and Zuko flushes. “Wha- no-” he stammers, and Sokka laughs. “I’m kidding,” he smiles. “Nah, Suki’s not coming. Maybe next time, though?”

Zuko nods, ignoring the thrill that rushes down his spine at the thought of a  _ next time. _ “So, where we headed, Tea Boy?” Sokka asks. 

Zuko answers without even having to think. “Tanaka’s Yoghurt.” 

* * *

Tanaka’s Yoghurt has a sign shaped like a happy soft pink cow hanging overhead and turquoise windows. Zuko hops out of his seat and Sokka drifts after him. The black haired boy swings open the door and gives a traditional Japanese bow to the man behind the counter. “Ohayo gozaimasu, Tanaka-san,” he calls. 

The man gives him a warm smile. “Ohayo, Zuko,” he answers politely. “Jin isn’t here, but if you actually came for yoghurt today…” he trails off on a teasing note that only makes Zuko blush slightly. Sokka wonders how long they’ve known each other.

“I’ve brought a friend,” Zuko explains, pointing to Sokka. Mr Tanaka’s face brightens. “A customer!” he cries appraisingly. “For once, Zuko has brought a customer who will buy things!”

Zuko huffs, looking embarrassed. “It’s not like Jin’s bringing Iroh and I more work,” he grumbles.

“If I remember correctly, that’s because Iroh insists on making everything free,” Mr Tanaka smirks. 

“Yeah, he does,” Zuko mutters in reply. “Could we get two cartons of meiji yoghurt?” he asks politely.

Mr. Tanaka smiles. “Of course,” he says.

As Mr Tanaka disappears behind the door to the storage, Sokka asks, “Who’s Iroh?”

Zuko smiles. “My uncle,” he explains. “We live above the Jasmine Dragon. You know, the tea place you dropped me at?”

Sokka nods. “So, uh, she’s Azula’s uncle too?” He tries to sound casual but he obviously fails from the way the smile slips off of Zuko’s face. 

“Do you have a problem with my sister?” he asks quietly but seriously. “You looked at me weird when you saw me with her today.”

Sokka swallows and presses his lips together. “She and my sister went to the same middle school. She was… kind of mean.”

Zuko raises an eyebrow. “‘Kind of’?” He sounds like he knows it’s an oversimplification.

Sokka shrugs. “Well, a monster is a better way to put it, but she’s your sister so…”

Zuko snorts. “It’s fine. I know what my sister’s like.” He fiddles with something in his pocket, and Zuko realizes it’s a lighter. “But she’s…” Zuko seems to be considering his words. “She’s better now,” he decides. “She went to therapy and everything.”

“Therapy?”

“Yeah,” Zuko says, nodding. “I mean, I’m not saying everything she did was because of her issues, but she is a better person now. I mean, if I can improve, why can’t she?”

Sokka stares at him, baffled. “ _ You  _ didn’t set someone’s hair on fire.”

Zuko lets out a snort of laughter. “No, I didn’t,” he smiles. “But I did some stuff I’m not proud of. Obviously no one has to forgive me for it. Some people didn’t. But I think I’m a better person than I was before, and I’m always trying to keep it that way. And I know Azula’s doing the same thing. Even if it doesn’t always seem like it.”

Sokka frowns, still thinking. Zuko gives him a pat on the shoulder. “Neither you or your sister are obliged to forgive my sister. But… there’s hope for her, you know?”

Sokka stares into Zuko’s eyes for what can only be about five seconds but feels like forever, feels like the Sun itself is lighting him on fire. 

“Okay,” he whispers finally. “If only so Katara won’t try to kill her,” he jokes.

Zuko hums. “If Katara is your sister, then yeah, you should get on that. She already tried with me, so.”

Sokka chuckles at first, then he catches on to the last part of Zuko’s sentence and his eyes bulge out of his head. “ _ What? _ ” he splutters.

Zuko nods. “Oh yeah. She was all, ‘If you hurt my brother, you won’t  _ have  _ a future.’ It was very threatening.”

“She didn’t need to do that,” Sokka scowls.

Zuko smiles. “No, it’s fine. It was just a surprise, is all. It’s nice that she wanted you to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting. Not from you.”

The words slip out of his mouth before he can stop them, and Sokka flushes. So does Zuko. “Oh,” he whispers. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”

Then Mr. Tanaka comes out of the storage room hollering, “I have your yoghurt!”

* * *

Sokka is Zuko’s personal chauffeur for the rest of the day, driving him wherever he says there’s something to do. He gets accustomed to Zuko’s smile, Zuko’s jokes, sometimes strange but always well meaning, the way Zuko scrunches up his nose when he’s trying to think. It’s getting dark when Sokka stops outside of the Jasmine Dragon. “I should probably get home,” Sokka murmurs. “I have curfew in a few hours.”

Zuko’s mouth quirks. “A few hours?” he says. Sokka nods. “Then … maybe you can stay for dinner? My Uncle always makes too much food.”

Sokka glances through the windows of the Jasmine Dragon. The customers seem to be thinning. He can just barely make out the image of Azula behind the counter, a bored expression on her face. 

“You’re sure that’s fine?” Sokka asks dubiously. 

Zuko nods. “Uncle loves having guests. And Azula… well, Azula gets tired of dealing with us.”

Sokka snorts. “Well, to save her from the two of you,” Sokka teases, and clambers after Zuko as he leaves.

The Jasmine Dragon is warm and fragrant, and customers sit on ornamental chairs or in cozy looking sofas. Paintings, photos and colleges, bright and beautiful, hang from the walls. 

Azula arches an eyebrow at the sight of Sokka. “Katara’s brother,” she says nonchalantly. “What brings you to our humble abode?”

“Sokka’s staying for dinner,” Zuko replies for him.

“Are you sure he can handle Uncle’s food?” Azula smirks.

“Oh, he probably can’t,” Zuko grins. 

“Hey!” Sokka screeches after him, following him up a set of stairs. “I’ll have you know I handle my spice  _ well _ .”

“Not this spice, you don’t.” Azula’s voice comes from behind him; Sokka tries not to let his nervousness show. “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of milk for when you inevitably fail to stomach the spicy wrath of Iroh’s cooking, unable to retrieve your dignity from the depths of the sauce.

Sokka gives Zuko a bewildered look, mouthing,  _ ‘Is she always like this?’  _ Zuko gives an amused nod and a  _ ‘yeah’. _

The dining room, the living room and the kitchen appear to be cramped in the same space- a small TV and a cosy red sofa in front of a round dining table with a bowl of fruit in the centre. Behind the table is the sink, the stove, the microwave, several cupboards and a fridge. And standing in front of the stove is a short, plump old man with greying hair, singing loudly. 

Azula groans. “Uncle,” she begs. “You  _ cannot sing _ . Please stop trying.”

The man, who Sokka presumes to be Uncle Iroh, chuckles and turns to give them a warm smile. “ Kon'nichiwa , Azula,” he smiles. “I suppose you would know the most about singing.”

Azula flushes. “Stop it,” she grumbles. 

Zuko meanders over to the pot. Lifts the spoon to his lips and slurps on the noodles. “Well, nephew?” Iroh asks. “What does it need?”

“More pepper flakes,” Zuko says decisively. “It needs way more chilli.”

_ “More  _ pepper flakes?” Sokka says incredulously. From here he can see the amount of spices Iroh has already used lined up next to the pot. He can’t imagine putting in any more unless you want to burn your tongue off.

Iroh seems to notice him and offers him a warm smile. “Good evening!” he greets cheerfully. Does this guy ever frown? “I am Iroh, Zuko’s Uncle.”

Sokka smiles back. “It’s good to meet you,” he says. “Zuko talks about you a lot.”

Uncle Iroh seems bashful at that. “It’s good to hear that,” he says. “And you are?”

“Oh, sorry! Where are my manners- Sokka, Zuko’s friend.”

Somehow Iroh’s smile widens. “A friend of Zuko is a friend of mine!” he laughs heartily. “The hotpot will be ready in some minutes. Meanwhile, Zuko should show you to his room.”

Azula snorts, flopping onto the couch. “His room? His hasn’t been cleaned since the dawn of time room, that room?”

“Quiet, you,” Zuko says half-heartedly.

“Whether Zuko has been dutiful in completing his chores is a question for another day! Let him show our guest around his humble abode.” Iroh returns to the stove and, as requested by Zuko, tips more pepper flakes into the pot. Sokka stares in horror as his chances of finishing the meal go up in flameーquite literally, as the flames turn up. Grinning, Zuko drags him off to his room.

It seems Azula was right- Zuko clearly  _ hasn’t  _ cleaned his room since the dawn of time. Mother hen Katara would be horrified, and frankly, so is he. Clothes, books, pens and cigarette butts are scattered all over the place. Sokka can’t even see the floor. Zuko makes a move to sit on the bed, realises it’s littered with food wrappers and stationery, and pushes them off with one fell swoop. Sokka wants to cry at the sound of all of it cluttering to the floor. 

“You’re a slob,” Sokka states matter-of-factly.

“I am  _ not _ ,” Zuko argues. “I just get… caught up in my own space.” There’s a desk in the far corner of the room diagonal to the bed with an armchair in front of it. “You can sit over there,” Zuko says, pointing to it. “Or… with me, if you like,” he adds shyly. 

Sokka suppresses his blush as he sits down next to Zuko. It’s not like he’s never sat in the same bed as someone else before. This just feels… different.

Messiness aside, Zuko’s room is quaint but comfy. The walls are neat and devoid of any posters except for a photo of a younger him and Azula, and a statuesque, delicate looking woman who’s face is practically a copy paste of Azula’s, standing in front of what Sokka recognises as recognises as Senso-ji Temple. And on the computer desk is a framed photo of a younger Uncle Iroh, a younger Zuko and a boy a few years older than him. The three of them are outside a restaurant with happy grins on their faces.

“My cousin,” Zuko says quietly. “Lu Ten. ”

“Is he…” Sokka doesn’t know how to put it into words, the mutual loss of something he thinks that he and Zuko both have.

Zuko seems to catch his meaning. “Yeah,” he replies.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka murmurs. “My, uh. My mom’s dead.”

Zuko chuckles bitterly. “Same here.”

“Damn, God really went all out with the dead moms huh,” Sokka remarks dryly. Zuko barks out a harsh laugh. “Yeah,” he smiles. “He did.” 

They sit in silence for a few moments, and then Zuko speaks. “Hey, uh. I met you at the skating park, but I’ve never seen you actually… skate?”

Sokka laughs. “Well, you’ll see me next time,” he grins, elbowing Zuko playfully and watching him blush. “You’ve seen Suki, skate, though?”

Zuko nods. “Yeah, she’s amazing,” Zuko says, almost reverently. “She is,” Sokka agrees in the same tone of voice. “She’s the one that taught me how to skate.”

“Wish someone taught me how to skate,” Zuko says thoughtfully. “I kind of just saw a skateboard lying on the sidewalk and decided to knock myself out.”

Sokka laughs. “What happened?” he grins.

“I hit my head. Hard.” Zuko states in a deadpan voice. 

Sokka laughs again. “Everyone wipes out, I guess,” he shrugs.

“Yeah,” Zuko agrees. “I looked really stupid though. I’m lucky no one recorded it or it would have meant a lifetime of embarrassment.” 

Sokka hums and dares to rest his head on Zuko’s shoulder. He hears Zuko draw a sharp intake of breath, but he doesn’t move. 

“I’m glad we go to school together,” Sokka whispers.

“Me too,” Zuko replies.

Then Azula screams, “Dinner’s ready, idiots!” And Zuko, laughing, grabs Sokka’s hand and leads him back to the kitchen.

* * *

It is the weekend, and Suki is at the skate park with Sokka and the rest of the gang. Aang and Toph skate circles around Katara to tease the adamant surfer. Somewhere to the side, Haru and Teo are holding hands and smiling. And Suki is lunging on the bench, her head in Sokka’s lap, and she could never be happier. 

At least that’s what she thinks, until she sees a familiar scarred face approaching and her day gets even better. 

Suki sits up immediately and she feels Sokka perk up behind her. “Hey,” he smiles. 

Suki grins at him. “Hey.”

Zuko holds up his skateboard, not as shyly as he would have before. He gestures to the obstacle course. “Race?” he asks mischievously. 

Sokka grins and sits up. “I’m in.”

Suki jumps up and picks up her skateboard. “Me too.”

And despite the suspicious look Katara shoots her way and her ever-lingering questions about Zuko’s scar, despite Zuko’s…  _ whatever  _ with Jet… 

Suki thinks they might be okay.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> sokka: wow, skateboarding is amazing.  
> zuko: yeah. you know who else is amazing?  
> both of them: suki.
> 
> That's a wrap for the first chapter! More information like what happened between Jet, Sokka and Katara, what happened with Ozai in this universe, Suki's sisters etc will be revealed in the next chapter. Jet isn't a villain or an antagonistic character here and if it seems like he is I'll work to improve him to the next chapter. It's important to me that Jet isn't made to be an asshole for no reason in this fic. There will be a lot more Suki/Zuko in the next chapter because I don't think threre was enough of that here.  
> Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this fic! Kudos and comments are appreciated 💖


End file.
